The researchers believe that the protein could be added in creams in the future to relieve the painful symptoms of the disease.

The Catholic University of Daegu is the fourth largest city in the Asian country.

Scientific advances in recent years have led to scientists floating the ideas of an eventual eczema cure – but it remains incurable.

Anti-inflammatory steroid creams are the most common therapy used to treat Eczema but they can cause side effects.

The new study, published in the British Journal of Pharmacology, could change that and lead to a better cream with less side effects.

“This study demonstrated bee venom and melittin have immune-modulatory activity. Such activity was associated with the regulation of T helper cell differentiation, thereby ameliorating eczema,” said Dr Hyun-Jin An who led the researchers in the study.

“These results suggest bee venom and melittin would be suitable for skin application, as topical administration is often applicable for the treatment of eczema,” Dr An said.

Bee venom, full of various peptides, has also been found to possess anti-bacterial, anti-viral and even anti-cancer properties, while melittin – which makes up half of it – has pain-relief effects and has been proven to offer relief for arthritis patients in lab trials.

The new study follows a major breakthrough in eczema research last year when a potential cause of the condition was discovered, reports MailOnline. Newcastle University experts also discovered that sufferers are missing a vital protein called filaggrin in their skin, it said.

“This then drives the development of the debilitating condition, they wrote at the time in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.”

According to the British Skin Foundation, eczema sufferers may suffer from insomnia and irritability aside the skin being affected. The disease may be genetic due to the condition often running in families.

The foundation said many factors can make eczema worse. They include:

Heat, dust, soap and detergents

Being unwell, such as having a cold

Infections

Dry skin

Stress

The foundation advised patients to avoid known triggers for flare ups and use emollients.